connectors and wire gauge 78 650 C2

Replaced my headlight yesterday and had my first good look at wiring harness in the bucket, Oh man, the previous owner seems to have done a number on the wiring. I'm going to have to go over it with the wiring diagram and figure out why I have no high-beam or tach/speedo lights (Checked bulbs already).

What type of connectors do you folks think are the best for replacing old spliced connections. What gauge wire should I be buying?

Electrical Connectors, Wire, And supplies
www.easternbeaver.com
www.vintageconnections.com
www.z1enterprises.com/catalog.aspx?pid=KPEL1
www.vehicle-wiring-products.eu
www.electricalconnection.com
www.electricalconnection.com/electrical-components/hitachi.htm
www.hvccycle.com/electrical-connectors.html
www.crowbarelectricalparts.com/butt_connectors.htm
www.ironbutt.org/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=1759&PN=1
www.ratwell.com/technical/Terminals.html
www.economycycle.com/servlet/the-Bullet-...--fdsh--Wire--fdsh--

Heatshrinkable splices(or butt connectors) are the best way to go as once they are crimped & shrunk down, they are weather resistant unlike the vinyl connectors sold at auto parts stores.

Here's an inexpensive heat gun for shrinking tubing and butt connectors: www.monokote.com/accys/topr2000.html It can usually be bought at the flying model hobby shops.

For a majority of light duty wire in a bike 20 gauge will work, then 16 gauge. 14 gauge on heavier circuits. Fuse block may have 12 gauge for 20-30 amp circuits.

If the wires are going to be flexed a lot, avoid any that are solder or tin coated as this makes the wire stiffer creating metal fatigue quickly.

If you have any more questions about wiring on your bike, don't be afraid to ask as I've got many years of wiring experiances...

Perfect! Thanks for the help.

Be careful when shrinking down the heatshrinkable butt connectors as the wire insulation may melt before the connector shrinks down. If you can salvage wiring from a wash machine or dryer, the insulation they use is a much higher grade than what's found at auto parts stores. The insulation may be larger too, but the conductors will still be the same.

Here's a sample of one manufacturers heatshrinkable butt connectors:
whiteproducts.com/splices.shtml

And another:
cableorganizer.com/krimpa-seal/
www.westmarine.com/1/3/heat-shrink-elect...ec35e01421ef8&CID=cj


Here's a pricey(about $75.00 or so) commercial duty heat shrink gun:http://www.masterappliance.com/masmite.html I've used this type in Aerospace and Mil-Spec wiring projects before.

Do you have the Kawasaki factory shop manual? If not, or if you need a larger format wiring diagram, here's one:

diagrams.kz650.info/wiring/images/KZ650-B2,C2.jpg

Yep thanks 650ed. I do have the manual but i appreciate you posting it. I managed to get my high beam sorted out. Plus i think I see why my speedo/tach lights arent lighting up. The blue cable (positive) has been cut. I can see one end. Im trying to figure out why you would cut the power to the speedo/tach backlight? What possible reason could he have? Oh well. Ran out of daylight so I'll finish tomorrow.

On a side note, I replaced some of the bulbs in my console with #53 bulbs. They fit right but are no where near as bright as the bulbs that were in there. Is there a better bulb I should be putting in there?

Cleaning Motorcycle Electrics

Get some of the De-Oxit electrical contact cleaner and figure on spending a good day going from the front of the bike to the back. It’s a plastic safe cleaner/preservative. www.deoxit.com is their website.

On the older Kawasaki's, a majority of electrical connectors are inside the headlight housing requiring removal of the headlight, then the fun begins.

Do one set of electrical connectors at a time to avoid mixing up what connects to where. Usually disconnecting, spraying with De-Oxit and reconnecting is about all you'll need.

However, when encountering the green crud of corrosion, a brass wire brush may be needed on the pins you can reach.
Some 400-600 grit wet and dry sandpaper strips rolled into a tube should reach the male and female pins in the more difficult to clean connectors.

Smoker’s pipe cleaners, cotton swabs and wooden toothpicks work as cleaning aids.

Really small electrical connectors may require the use of a welders tip cleaning tool assortment.

Most pins in the connectors are coated with a thin plating of tin, and others may be nothing more than copper or brass.

If moisture is added, the resulting corrosion lowers the voltage/current being carried causing dim lights, slow engine cranking, slow turn signal responce and lower input voltage to the ignition coils resulting in weak spark.

The left and right handlebar switch pods will need attention too as they have circuit functions like turn, horn, run/stop, and start.

Usually a spritz or two with actuation of the switch is about all needed for these switches unless corrosion is detected and then careful disassembly is required.

The ignition switch may or may be not sealed to allow spraying the internal contacts. I urge caution if attempting to open this up as springs, and ball bearings may fly out never to be seen again!

If your bike has the older style glass tubed fuses, I suggest replacing them as vibration can cause internal failure. AGX is the type used, and most auto parts stores can get them for you.

Clean the fuse holder clips, looking for signs of overheating(discolored insulation, signs of melting),
I use metal polish on a cotton swab, followed by spraying another clean swab with the De-Oxit and then rubbing the inside of the fuse clip.

Each "Bullet Connector" will have to be sprayed to ensure good connectivity, especially the ones going to the energizing coil of the starter solenoid.

The alternator output “Bullet Connectors” are usually behind the engine sprocket cover and will need inspecting and cleaning too.

The turn signal light sockets will benefit from a spritz from the contact cleaner along with the tail light/brake light socket.

Some brake light switches can be sprayed on the actuating rod, with the spray running down inside to the electrical contacts, others may be sealed requiring replacement if the switch is intermittent in operation.

I think I've covered about all of the electrical systems on the bike.........

The correct bulbs are Stanley 12V 3.4W. Here's one place that says they have them, I'm sure there are others:

parts.sonshonda.com/products/Honda/1980/...3/34902-259-000.html